In the quietest part of the NBA calendar, teams across the league are mostly ready for the 2026-27 regular season to roll around. That includes the Oklahoma City Thunder. They had a busy summer as the complementary pieces changed for the first time in a couple of years.
The Thunder will enter the 2026-27 season as co-title favorites — alongside the San Antonio Spurs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are one of the more decorated trios in the league and should keep OKC in the title conversation for the foreseeable future.
As the Thunder continue to enjoy their summer, they're only a few months away from the 2026-27 season being underway. Let's project what OKC's depth chart will look like as it hopes to bring home a second
Larry O'Brien trophy in three years:
Point guard
Starter: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Depth: Ajay Mitchell, Nikola Topic
Gilgeous-Alexander remains one of the top NBA superstars of this era. The two-time MVP winner is the biggest reason why the Thunder have one championship — with room to add more. He's one of the best players ever. His resume speaks for itself. The walking 30-point machine has had four consecutive superb-efficient 30-point campaigns. You need an era-defining Hall-of-Famer to be taken as a serious title contender. OKC has that with the 28-year-old.
Behind him, Mitchell enjoyed his own breakout last year. He blossomed into a double-digit scorer. The Thunder are depending on him even more. He's expected to take on the Sixth Man role. He's another developmental success story for OKC and has plenty of room to grow. The sky is the limit for him. As long as he stays healthy. Elsewhere, Topic is entering a make-or-break year. He's running out of time to show something at the NBA level. Maybe he can take advantage of the glut of minutes up for grabs.
Shooting guard
Starter: Cason Wallace
Depth: Alex Caruso, Jared McCain, Bennett Stirtz, Josh Dix (two-way)
The Thunder have rolled out the red carpet. After trading Lu Dort, Wallace is expected to be promoted as a full-time starter. In his first three seasons, he was the unofficial sixth starter — always filling in for whoever was out. The 22-year-old enjoyed a breakout year as a first-time All-Defense member. Expect him to take the brunt of the opposition's top perimeter scorers. He'll also get plenty of opportunities to grow as an offensive player. He's a prime candidate to be OKC's Most Improved Player. Everything is set up for him.
In what is arguably OKC's deepest position, Caruso and McCain are behind him. We know what the former is. The two-time NBA champion is one of the best role players in the league. And his regular-season maintenance has been well worth it with awesome NBA playoff runs. He's one of the best defenders of his era. And then McCain is ready to take on a bigger role. Last year's mid-season acquisition didn't take long to help the Thunder. His scoring punch has been a much-needed element on their bench. Now, he fills that role with Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins gone. Elsewhere, Stirtz and Dix are rookies. Safe to assume Stirtz will have a larger impact next year. He's viewed as an offensive talent. His shooting and playmaking are what stand out.
Small forward
Starter: Jalen Williams
Depth: Brooks Barnhizer (two-way), Otega Oweh (two-way)
Falling five wins short of their back-to-back ambitions, the Thunder are banking on Williams. They hope last year's injury concerns were a one-year anomaly — rather than the start of a disturbing trend. The All-NBA talent faded into the background. But we know what he looks like at the peak of his powers. He's the perfect Robin to Gilgeous-Alexander's Batman. He's an efficient 20-point scorer who also plays at an All-Defense level. There's a reason why nobody scoffed at his Gen Z Scottie Pippen comparisons when OKC was on its way to an NBA championship.
Not much depth behind Williams, though. At least in this thought exercise. Sure, other Thunder frontcourt players will fill in. But in terms of pure small forwards, it's just Barnhizer and Oweh. Both are two-way players. So don't expect many contributions from either this year. It will be interesting to see if OKC eventually fills the open standard roster spot with a wing. They almost did so with Spencer Jones before Denver matched their offer sheet.
Power forward
Starter: Chet Holmgren
Depth: Kenrich Williams
Even with his NBA playoff shortcomings, Holmgren remains one of the NBA's best players. He enjoyed a breakout year as a first-time All-Star and All-NBA member. He finished as the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. Since he joined OKC, he's been one of the most impactful players on both sides of the floor. That should remain the case. Even with his San Antonio baggage. The advanced metrics absolutely love him. He's one of the most efficient scorers and one of the top rim protectors. Through three seasons, he's turned into everything you could've hoped for when the Thunder added him with the 2022 NBA draft No. 2 pick.
Only Williams is behind him. He's now the second-longest-tenured player on the Thunder — only trailing Gilgeous-Alexander. The 31-year-old has seen his playing time dwindle over the years. But that's more from OKC's ridiculous depth. Now, there's a chance for him to get back in the rotation after all of the roster changes. He's always been a reliable third-string player. He can score the ball and defend. He's also comfortable in his role as a locker room veteran.
Center
Starter: Isaiah Hartenstein
Depth: Jaylin Williams, Thomas Sorber, Aday Mara
By the end of the year, Hartenstein turned from a luxury to a necessity. The Thunder figured out a way to keep him for the long run. The 28-year-old has enjoyed his best years in OKC. Both from an individual and team standpoint. He's been a double-double machine. The seven-footer gives the Thunder a nice throwback element as an old-school center who can screen and rebound. Since he joined their starting lineup, they've had their best success. So don't fix what isn't broken.
Behind him are one of OKC's best bench pieces and a couple of projects. Williams had a career year. His outside jumper and playmaking have chiseled him into a prominent rotation piece over the years. He can both start and come off the bench pretty seamlessly. He's also improved on defense. His decision to lose weight last summer is one of the best ones he's made. And then there are Sorber and Mara. Both are OKC's recent top two draft picks. They're banking on at least one of them to work out. Sorber missed last year with a torn ACL. Mara is a 7-foot-3 giant. The plan is for one of them to be the long-term plan for a backup center. We'll see.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Current 2026-27 OKC Thunder depth chart after offseason moves
